Studio Artist vs Painter

[David Buckle]

I love Studio Artist but because at the present SA is Mac only it is not as well known as Corel Painter. I've heard the comment in other forums that Studio Artist is a fun program to use but for serious digital art Painter is a must have program. Is this true? I have also heard people say they do part of their work in Studio Artist then take it to Painter. What can Painter do that Studio Artist can not? Although I own a copy of Painter IX I have never really explored it and don't know the program well.
If there are things that Painter can do that SA can not will they be addressed in SA 4.0? On another subject, I have always wished that SA had a fade slider like PS so after you apply an image op you could adjust it easily.

[Donna Kuhn]

corel painter came with my wacom tablet. i can't stand it. studio artist has changed my life but i seem to have drifted into video and am not focusing on drawing/painting as much.

[John Dalton Synthetik Software]

Well, i'd probably reverse that statement to read that 'serious digital artists should have a copy of studio artist in their arsenal', but then i'm biased.

[craig deeley]

I have had a hard time with Painter from the days before it came in a paint can.
The interface never made making art easy... But the tools have been at times very good... And the application has had many face lifts...
I use Painter Essentials 2 for all I could ask Painter for. The smooth pencil tool and easy to make layers... Just enough to get me moving thru a preproduction sketch... Thats all I have ever been able to muster effectively from the Painter applications.

I am always on the look out for easy/effective applications. I ran accross Studio Artist looking for something easier than Painter to "paint" with... And more painterly than Photoshop.

I use SA as a digital painting tool only - with most of my efforts directed towards print.

Studio Artist has been a come right in and paint application from the very start for me.
I could "Paint" with a click on a Preset and a swipe on the canvas! The sensation sold me instantly!
Its not all that easy to use once you get beyond that first impression... I have been working with SA for more than five years and still find it a challenge to get what I want. I have not been on a machine that will run fast enough to make 300dpi image making fast and painless. I have not been able to make SA a production application where I can recreate a look and develop a lot of art quickly - art that can go to print at least... Serious "buts"...

Never the less I see SA improving all the time - the SA developers and community are very active and dynamic and I love working with the application. When it comes to creating digital art - the "love" factor is huge.

Painter Essentials 2 (a super stripped Painter) is all I can deal with and I use it only because Alias Sketchbook doesn't work on a Mac Mini(intel) and ArtRage - while a fabulous digital tool - doesn't draw smoothly like its first incarnations...

> If there are things that Painter can do that SA can not...
All I could ask for is more options to smooth lines drawn quickly - the one thing I need for "quick" art development. The one thing I look to a "Painter" for.

[John Dalton Synthetik Software]

Well there are some new anti-aliased vector options in the paint synth in upcoming version 4, so i think you will have a lot more options for smooth lines that draw quickly.

[Thorrific]

I have Painter 9 & I am familiar with it, have used it quite a bit, and I think Studio Artist is so much better!!!

I love the concept of the Paint Synthesizer! I feel like I have infinite amounts more control over the paint presets in SA than in Painter. I love MSG operations & Evolver! Studio Artist & Evolver work with and create videos!

Plus with Studio Artist, you get to communicate directly with John, the creator of SA! I don't think you can do that with Painter.... maybe you can try the Corel Help Desk ;)

[David Buckle]

I have to agree with what everyone is saying here. I got rid of a brand new PC because I could not run Studio Artist on it. I've looked at a lot of art work done with Painter and I don't really see anything that can not be done with SA. I was just wondering if I'm missing something. I know there are artist who are experts in both and hoped to get some enlightenment on the subject.

[Jean Detheux]

I cannot shoot down Painter because it is the one application that helped me make the transition from natural to digital media when I suddenly became allergic to all my painting materials (thinners and all).
I have used it a lot for the past 10 years or more (started at version 4) and became sufficiently involved with it that you can see my name in the thank you section of the Painter splash screen at least till version IX.5, have not seen X yet.
That being said, I started using Studio Artist almost exclusively since the day MetaCreation (that "MetaStream" mess) sold Painter (to Corel), and in all honesty, Studio Artist brought my work to a whole different level, especially facilitating greatly my transition to "time art."
I have written at length and lectured about/on digital art and always make a point of saying that, to me, Studio Artist is a paradigm shift, it can do all that Painter can, but it also has a timeline (which Painter lacks) and gives me the impression of finally being able to paint with more than one brush/finger at a time, finally making it possible to paint "with chords."
I still use Painter for "illustration" work, if only because I am so familiar with its interface and especially like what it can do with text, but that is shrinking more and more, Studio Artist has more than replaced most of my applications as I now use it, along with Final Cut Pro, almost exclusively.

[charles scharf]

its a whole different gestalt. plus we have contact with john and i feel like part of a new big family with the forum. i always felt lost with painter- with sa, i feel its more intuitive and growth-promoting

[Jean Detheux]

John Dalton has contributed a lot to the evolution of my work, and this, over and above the creation of this most amazing application, Studio Artist.
I recall early times (in SA 1.1 or 1.5) when I had problems learning processes that were fairly difficult (for this non-technical person), like "morphing." John literally walked me through it very patiently, and expertly as well (of course).
This kind of friendly and competent support has not stopped since, it has been and is, in the best sense of the word, priceless.
Thanks John